The Curse of Calamus

[Jazzi]

Chroi

Chroi frowned at the dwarf. Only fools would think the night hounds were more dangerous than orcs. The elf kept her thoughts to herself. If the group wished to remain behind then so be it. But she would not. Orcs were vile creatures, always serving the darker forces. And if they were employed to seek out a prize, they would never rest until they found it nor would they have mercy on any who stood in the way.

It was extremely unwise to dawdle any longer in this area. Chroi moved discreetly toward her horse. She would leave alone if necessary. Before she had even taken a few steps, the tall thief called out to her. She frowned yet again and then muttered a quiet oath when his words sank in.

Without hesitation, the small elf quickly moved to the dying man’s side. She checked his wounds skillfully, her eyes filled with worry and concern. Chroi removed a beautifully carved lute from her bag and began to play. Her head was bent low as her long fingers plucked out a haunting melody.

The music encased the dying man, infusing him and bathing him with a soft glow of elven magic. How long she played, she had no idea. But when she finally stopped, it was no longer light outside. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears as she watched the human now. His face was peaceful.

She heard someone shift behind her. Without turning around, she spoke, her voice tired,

“I have done all I can. His wounds are healed but…his heart. He is old and what he endured here has placed a strain on his heart and for that, there is no cure.”

She paused and quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve so none could see. Elves were not supposed to show emotion.

“I do not know if he will make it to see the light of morning.”

The tired elf stood up and swayed unsteadily. She had poured quite a bit of her own life force into the human to help him. She placed her hand on a nearby table and looked around. The others were definitely getting ready to spend the night in this ransacked building.

Chroi tried not to look at the pile of orc bodies as she made her way to lean tiredly along the west wall. The elf slid down and sat on the floor. She would rest here for a few minutes to catch her breath and then leave. Her eyes closed…only a few minutes and then she would on her way. Exhaustion claimed the Singer and soon she was fast asleep.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

so it's settled

They'd decided, and against the wizard's silent wishes, they would remain. He sighed deeply but silently when he heard their responses, then lifted his head and tried to hide his disappointment. He understood their ideas, and the concept of spending the night in the trek through the woods seemed perilous indeed, what with nighthounds chasing after them and Nimbles diving down at them from above, teeth seeking blood.
He moved toward the house as they carried the man inside. As the elf healed, the others piled the bodies. AS darkness fell outside, he sat and waited, wondering how they would deal with the hounds when they arrived, and hoping like child would that the orcs didn't return.

 

[Angelus]

Nathan stood there and looked at the elf, wishing there was something that he could do for her. But he was just a warrior and although he could do this with potions that no normal warrior could do he was still a warrior. He then looked at the door and said,

"We have to get this door fixed and quickly because if we don't then we are going to be killed by those orcs that will more than likely come back. I know that I am not the leader of this group- I don't claim to be and I don't want that job but I want to see this night through like I did last night. Now do you think it best to fix that door or not?"

Without another word he put his hands under the door and began to lift it up off the ground. He knew that he couldn't do it without help and he hoped that some would come to help him or they would be killed tonight and he didn't want that.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

Once again, I find myself forced to spend the night in an above-ground dwelling. As luck would have it, there is no staircase to sleep under. Wondering if there is anywhere in this poorly masoned house to sleep, I walk into a room full of blood, shed the night before. Centered on one wall, a large fireplace digs into the wall. I think to myself that this is the perfect place to sleep--if sleep finds my eyes tonight. With that, I begin preparing the large fireplace with some items from the room. Unfortunately, a keg of ale wouldn't fit into this small place. Doubly unfortunate that I cannot find any such keg in this dreary house.

I decide to waste no time with plesantries. I retire early to my makeshift bed. Laying in the brick fireplace, I look around me at the poor masonry. No Dwarf built this chimney. Nodding off, I try to understand the the words of the old man in the woods. Unfortunately, he probably won't live to tell the others what he tried to tell me.

The last thought on my mind before my eyes blink closed is the memory of what the old man told me: I was in the house last night attacked. Orcs they killed most. Barriste was taken beneath the loose. Bring in the fireplace.

...Bariste was taken beneath the loose. Bring in the fireplace...

...Bariste was taken. Beneath the loose. Bring in the fireplace...

...Bariste was taken...

...Beneath the loose. Bring in the fireplace...

...beneath the loose brink in the fireplace...

...beneath the loose brick in the fireplace...

 

[Quiet_Cool]

As night falls

The orcs wait outside, watching from a distance as the group nears the building, then starting down toward the building at a slow pace. They moved quietly, wanting to surprise those they intended to attack. They indeed, did not find the item they'd been searching for, and this night's atack would have different objectives than that of the night beofre. Nearly three hundred orcs move through the trees toward the building, creeping, wanting to hold off their attack until well after dark.

 

[poohlive]

Sebulba used his massive hand to finish putting the door back in it's place. His large eyes glanced at the warrior attempting this feat alone.
"If you want the door fixed, try the troll. They are skilled in those sorts of things."
Well, trollswere miners, but out of all the people here, he was the only one with any experience on the subject.
As for Sebulba he has searched the house for other entrances and exits. Everyone's focus was on the door, but if the door failed they would need a way out of here. It would bee easier to fight out in the open.
At least, for Sebulba it would. He imagined the humans lasted so long because they were inside. If he was inside while the fight broke out though, he would be the first to die. Giants didn't do well in tight quarters.
Having to hunch down as he moved, he considered this tight quarters.
He brought out his axe, finding a suitable corner and beginning to polish and sharpen it. It needed to be in best shape for the night ahead, and so did he.

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard's Plan

He walked over to the door, and sighed. They'd replaced it to soon. He put a hand on the shoulder of the warrior that had started replacing it. He watched his face a moment, then spoke softly. "I'm going out. Once the door is back in place, I want you to pile the orcs bodies in front of it. No one gets out, no one gets in, got it? Get the others to stand watch. I'll be outside. If anything comes, I'll let you know. Be wary."

He inched the door open, and slid into the night, helping to readjust it. Once outside, he pulled forth his Fang, and quickly scaled the wall of the building, digging his Fang into the wall, and using the construction irregularities as foot and handholds.

Once on the roof, he sat down, looking at the door and surrounding ground. He had no fear. Nighthounds couldn't climb, and orcs couldn't get to the roof in any good numbers. Nimbles were to small to do any damage, their fangs only big enough to sink into skin. Since his entire body was covered, they could only annoy him.

As the darkness grew, a dusk wind slowly brushed by him. He stared out into the darkness, fingers gripping at his Fang as he waited. Orcs were stupid, and superstitious. And he, for one, intended to exploit those characteristics.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

The night comes

When he saw Richard heading outside, he almost jumped to his feet. He stopped himself though, knowing that he couldn't tell them what to do, only make suggestions, and he had to be weary when doing that.
He scanned the room, wondering if they were ready for the evening. The dwarf was asleep in the fireplace. The elf was dozing near the wall. Richard was outside somewhere, too close to the enemy.
It looked fairly bleak, given what may lie ahead. And they hadn't yet discovered what they came here for. Barriste was supposed to meet them further down the hill. He'd become concerned when he didn't see him as they rode on, and after further travel and no Barriste, he decided to head for the house, knowing its location.
He looked around the room, knowing he'd never be able to find it on his own, wondering if had been taken.

 

[Firesprite]

Kyleen

Kyleen settled her horse into a small back room in the cabin. She wasn't going to risk leaving him outside to the mercies of the night predators again.

Prowling restlessly around the small cabin, Kyleen saw the dwarf had made a nest of sorts in the fireplace. She began talking, more to herself than to him, but keeping a discreet eye on his reactions in any case. Prodding around in cupbards, she began to assemble a meal for the party.

"Strange couple of days," she said. "I have to admit, I don't really know what to expect, but don't worry Friend Dwarf, my blade and my sling is true, and you need not worry about food to eat each day."
Kyleen half-turned to address him directly "What do you prefer to eat anyway?" not expecting an answer, Kyleen continued dressing down the three birds, squirrel and two rabbits that she had brought down with her sling on their journey here.
The meat prepared for cooking, she looked over at the dwarf in the fireplace. "perhaps you wouldn't mind moving over? I need to light a fire and get these cooked. Actually, I seem to recall a broken table that the elf was leaning on earlier.. if we move that in here, you could sleep under it tonight. I'm sure the keg would fit nicely under there too..."

Kneeling on the hearthstones Kyleen waited for the dwarf to move. One of the bricks beneath her knee shifted slightly. It seemed quite loose.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

And in the darkness

As the orcs approached, they tried to remain silent, their large bodies clomping on the grass, arms swaying and heads bobbing left and right. Although they reached the field while watching the house closely, they didn't see the man in black scaling the wall or perched on the roof. Their minds are elsewhere, anyway, thinking of the battle ahead with great anticipation. Several of them grin wickedly, wanting to spill more human blood and hoping to find victims in the surrounding hills if those they anticipated weren't at the house. They were assured the old wizard would be there, in search of the same item they wanted, but the certainty of his escape from the city was still in question. And, the possibility of him having companions was definitely a factor. Perhaps he would come with an entire army. Plenty of blood to spill, much havok to be reaked. This thought made many of them grin even wider, gripping their swords and axes and maces even tighter in hand.
Once they were in the field, they scattered, moving toward the house at a slight jog, too anxious to move any slower.
There were almost fifty of them there, and another legion of the same waiting in the hills above.
Their orders were to kill the old man and leave any possible companions gutted. That done, the item, should it not be found, meant nothing. The time to strike had come. And strike they intended to do...

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard- The Dark Angel of Death

He waited in silence as he looked out. He spent much of his time outdoors, and his eyes were used to the darkness. He watched as the dark forms approached. Orcs in the night. He grimmanced. He'd have to do this right the first time. Orcs approved of close combat, and he doubted if they had bows, but he had to keep himself wary of arrows.

Opening his senses, he felt the wind. It had picked up, the tress did little to bar it, and it flowed directly towards his perch on the house. He sighed, and stood up, thropwing his hands up and away at an angle. His cloak, made of long lengths of black material meant to catch the wind and give him no determinable shape, a good defense, guickly found itself pulled by the wind.

The fabric he cloaked himself in pulled itself out, edges flapping in the winds like two great wings. "Hold, fiends of the night! Behold in I, the Lord Death himself! Beware, any who wuold harm those under mine care! For your deaths shall be suffered in your deepest nightmares! Everlasting pain to those that would disobey the Lord Death, Black Ruler of the Land!"

He held himself calm, a pillar of blackness. He hoped only that his voice, deepened by the scarf covering his mouth, and the way he was yelling would have the desired effect on his voice. That, and the orcs would be frightened enough to back away. The con, greatest weapon of any theif. He silently prayed to the Gods as he waited for a reaction, ears to the wind, eyes to the night.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

The con

The figure seemed to jump out of nowhere, suddenly appearing on the rooftop, setting them to alert. Their first instinct was to kill, or maime, whichever they could manage, one being just as good as the other in most cases. Then the words floated across the air toward them, projected by the wind and sounding like a deep scream in their ears.
They froze as the words sank in, then looked around to see what the others reactions were.
Lord Death? They'd never heard of such a creature truly existing...but from tales told by campfires and such, they'd more than understood what the being implied.
One shook its head and shouted "You lie!" in a deep and hoarse voice, unmost impossible to understand. It gripped its sword and advanced three steps, then realized it was alone and slowed to a stop, glancing back.
"It lies," another said, but without heart. And none advanced to affirm the words.
It stared up at the figure, a moving blob of blackness standing atop the roof, shapeless. It feared the creature, and it hated it more because it feared it.
After a few seconds, it backpedaled slowly to the others and turned to the one nearest it, gripping it by the torn shirt it wore and pulling it closer, until their noses almost touched.
"We'll talk with the witch," it said, speaking possibly too quietly to be heard (though the wind could very well have carried the sound wherever), "If it lies, then we return tomorrow and destroy them, using extra caution to cause them the appropriate amount of pain."
With that, it began to retreat, moving slowly, watching the creature atop the roof with the same hatred as before. The others crept at his pace at first as well, but their bravado did not last so long. Soon, they were bounding toward the trees, glancing back to ensure the dark figure wasn't chasing them, flying perhaps on wings of pure wind to eat them alive.

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard- King of the Con!

He waited until the retreating forms of the orcs were gone from his vision, then pulled his arms down to his sides as quickly as he could, adding to the illusion of wings by having them fold down. He knelt down, and continued to watch over the door.

Slowly, he started to whisper to himself. Softly enough so as not to be heard unless one were to be directly beside him. "Damn, I'm good. If this quest manages to rid the land of the darkening, I should see if the wizard can pull some strings, get me to be an advisor of some sort. All this talent. Run little orcs, run..."

He settled himself down, frowning over the fact he wouldn't be able to get a decent night's sleep. He had to keep watch over the house, and those inside it. He was a good theif, but he had too big of a heart. Well, no one's perfect.

He'd caught phrases being carried by the wind, words like 'witch', and 'tomorrow'. Not that he had any plans of being here tomorrow. Hell, he planned on being very far away come tomorrow. He was worried, though, that they were so close that it would only take a day to go back and forth from conferring with the witch. But, he would talk with the wizard on the morrow.

Maybe they'd let him sleep the whole of the night tomorrow...

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

Enthrawled by my dream I don't think that I heard a word the woman said to me. However, the scapping noise of the loose brick sends shivers through my body. I wake with a start, "Arrr, shoddee masonree!"

I almost fall right back to sleep except for the expectant look from the woman. Just as I'm about to ask her what she wants, the dream relapses into my conscious thoughts. "Arrr, giff me a mohmet ta geet mye thinks an then Iyl beyout of yer way human woman." With that, I nearly shove the poor woman, trying to help her away from the fireplace. When she leaves, I will find out about that loose brick the man spoke of.

 

[Firesprite]

Kyleen

Mentally untangling the dwarfs words while effortlessly keeping my balance I shrug at him and, indicating the skewered animals I offer to light the fire on top of him instead.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

"Arrr," agravated, and slightly embarrassed that she couldn't understand me I try again, "go! Iyl go in ay mihnut!" Hoping she can understand me, I promise that I will leave in a minute after she does. I try to communicate that I want to get my things and leave at my own time. Then, I look at the poor woman, hoping she will take the hint and leave.

 

[Angelus]

Nathan watched the two of them with a smile and wondered who was going to win this little arguement. It was as though they had been fighting some way or another since the group had come together and he just hoped that it wouldn't come to blows. As he watched them though he had a feeling it wouldn't- what they were doing was just basic bantering.

Nathan leaned against the wall and wondered what was going to happen when the orcs decided to attack. He did know one thing; it was going to be a hard fight when they did- especially in the confines of the house. The dwarf's voice then snapped him out of his thoughts and he said, "What are you two discussing now?"

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

Attracting even more attention, I quickly try to usher the two of them away from the fireplace so that I can examine the brick in solitude. After all, none of them should know about the secret that the old man told me. Getting that idea in my head, I yell out, "Arrr, cheg on tha ol' mahn--ees he alife steel?"

 

[Quiet_Cool]

The old man lives...for now

"I'm alive," Copplen muttered, having heard the Dwarf's question, his voice now relaxed, but not much stronger than before. "And I have done my part, I believe."
The old wizard stood and looked at the man, surprised.
"Do you have it yet?" He asked.
"Not yet," Pennindar replied. "We weren't sure if it was still here."
"Are you not friends with the little man?" He asked.
Pennindar nodded, then realized the old thief may not have seen his response and said, "Yes. He is here among us now."
"Perhaps he could not hear me, then. Let me think..." The old man trailed off, his eyebrows scrunching up in thought. Healed of his immediate injuries, apparently the wounds had taken their overall toll on him, just as Chroi had suggested they might.
Pennindar waited, wondering if this man was to be trusted afterall.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Barriste...in the dungeon under the hill

He hung from the wall, not chained as he should have been, but merely tied there. Orcs were not afraid of humans it seemed. Just one more weakness in terms of their intelligence.
He watched as two of his captors argued over the last piece of bread of their evening meal. They growled at one another, one actually extending an arm and slapping the other while taking up the bread in its other hand and swallowing it whole.
Choke on it, he thought.
He hadn't eaten since the night before, not a feat he couldn't handle, but an annoyance to him nonetheless.
He scanned the room, looking for anything that might be of use. There were three others here, a large, awkward, dumblooking barbarian, and two dwarves, both tired-looking, as though they'd been here for quite some time. The barbarian, unintelligent as he may seem, also seemed to have some fire left to him. Anger locked away, or maybe something else that he couldn't foresee given the circumstance.
The barbarian was his best bet.
He glanced over to ensure the orcs weren't paying attention, then looked to the barbarian.
"Hey," he spat, whispering. "Hey, can you hear me?"

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

The old man speaks, worrying me. What if he tells them about the brick, too. Then, my treasure will be lost. I start to reason things out. I could probably fight all of them if they rush me. The only real problem would be that giant. Not realizing the power of the wizard, I continue to think about my options.

Suddenly, Kyleen stands and goes over to the old man and Nathan turns his gaze in that direction. Taking this to be my chance, I quickly unearth the single loose brick and grab the items from under it. Replacing the brick, I shove the small items into a huge pocket inside my cloak.

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard Looks In.

Richard had grown hungry, having not eaten anything for a whole day. Slowly, he wandered to the chimney, glancing around before looking down. Perhaps they would throw some food up to him. Just as he looked down, he saw the dwarf shove something in his pocket as he replaced a brick.

He frowned, and grabbed a shingle, dropping it down on the tunnel-dweller's head. He shouted down the chimney, his voice ringing through the stones and echoing out into the room below, but not carrying far into the night. "Hey! Dwarf! That's the second time I've seen you in possession of something that most likely doesn't belong to you. I'm not up here risking my life so filth like you can survive! I swear, if you don't hand that over right now, I'll drag you up here and feed you to the orcs! And c ould somebody get some food up here? I'm starved!"

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

Pretty sure that nobody but myself heard the rooftop dweller, I grab some flint out of one of my pockets and begin striking it in the fireplace. "Arrr, Kyleen, Iyl mack that fyr for ya." Unfortunately, the little piece of flint wouldn't spark and I resort to yelling up the chimney, "Git yer own damn food. Cook a orc er sometin."

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard

"Oh, that's it! I'm gonna slit your throat, you worthless little troll!"

With that, he pulled himself over the edge of the shimney, and placing his left hand against the far wall and bracing his shoulder on the other, he began moving down. His right hand pulled his Fang loose, and he pced it between his teeth before placing his right hand on the right wall and begining his descent.

He growled as he moved down, fully inteding to kill the little pest. Or at least maim him beyond recognition.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

Unbelievable, the man begins to descend from the roof. His slow trek down the chimney leaves me plenty of time to bare my heavy axe. Although it would be much safer to hide, I do not need this man to tell them about my new procurement.